Deicide - _Insineratehymn_
(Roadrunner, 2000)
by: Matthias Noll (2 out of 10)
In the endless battle of good vs. evil, the forces of light seem to have won a minor victory by successfully stripping Benton's evil crew of everything that once made them one of the top death metal acts on earth. Quite some years after their crushing debut and the follow up _Legion_, maybe a bit over-technical but brutal as fuck and rather unique in style, Deicide have decided to no longer become associated with stagnation but finally, even if only musically, try to do something slightly different. That must have been the moment where some things did start to go seriously wrong. I guess the original intention may have been to become heavier and groovier. Unfortunately, slowing down to almost doom metal tempo and using variations of Metallica's staccato "For Whom the Bell Tolls" riff does not automatically summon more heaviness or achieve a decent groove or flow. The result must be one of the most boring records I heard in the last ten years. _Insineratehymn_ is devoid of all the elements necessary for a good death metal record. There's no violence, no aggression, no anger, no hate, no real power. The production by Morris is competent and better than Burns's work of late, but far too clean and polished, and Benton's vocals come across as if he finally got tired of praising Satan (who wouldn't after all these years) but hasn't been able to come up with a better idea what to growl about. A handful of songs start with riffs that are quite OK, but after the first or second break the band falls back into the same plodding rhythm patterns and the faster parts seem only to serve the purpose of staying within the unwritten ruleset of death metal. Halfway through the record I lost interest in tracking how many times they dared to use what seems to be an identical section over and over again. Things are made even more monotonous by Benton's vocals, which follow the guitar lines come hell or high water. Maybe I'm wrong with my assessment that _Insineratehymn_ is a mighty crappy record, and I might just be unable to identify the masterplan here, but if there's a plan then it's evil to the bone: bore the Christians to death. Maybe the DEA should get some copies to use them next time they have someone like Noriega under siege. I'm pretty sure the bad guys will give up sooner when exposed to "Insineratehymn" instead of AC/DC.
(article published 20/11/2000)
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